More than 200 shoppers in Wichita received $25 gift cards Wednesday, courtesy of a collection of credit unions that organized the promotional event.

Starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the first 100 shoppers to visit the QuikTrip located near 127th Street East and 21st Street North received the cards. Then at a similar event Wednesday afternoon, 120 consumers who visited the Phillips 66 station at 11012 Southwest Blvd., each received $25 in cash.

The money was provided through seven area credit unions that participated in a statewide event that involved 17 credit unions that gave away a total of $23,000 worth of cards, gas or cash, according to officials with the Kansas Credit Union Association.

The event aimed to emphasize the “credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people,’ ” according to a news release from the association.

“We don’t promote these events in advance because we want people to be surprised,” Susan Dyer, communications director of the association, said in a statement. “We feel it’s a greater impact if the person isn’t expecting it. We hope it will have a ripple effect in the community … the recipient will then turn around and make a difference in someone else’s life today.”